America’s private-sector “conquest” of space continues. The latest: On Sunday, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit successfully deployed 10 mini satellites into orbit using a two-stage rocket fired from a converted jumbo jet.
The company’s LauncherOne rocketed into Earth orbit from “Cosmic Girl,” a specially outfitted Boeing 747-400, over the Pacific. The space vehicle deployed 10 cubesats (miniature research satellites) for NASA’s Launch Services Program. This comes just eight months after an aborted test run last May.
Branson brags that the “magnificent flight” will “unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit.” Make it so!
Two years ago, Branson’s rocket-powered VSS Unity spaceplane successfully entered suborbital flight above the Earth. In 2018, his Virgin Galactic ferry flew a crew to more than 50 miles above the Earth.
Two months ago, Elon Musk’s SpaceX made history by ferrying two astronauts to the International Space Station — the first-ever private manned launch into space.
Along with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and other firms, SpaceX and Virgin Orbit are finding innovative ways to make launches far cheaper and more practical — and so make space more accessible.
VOX Space LLC, a Virgin Orbit subsidiary, is set to launch in October under a $35 million, three-mission contract with the US Space Force. Pay attention: The new Space Age is here.